As Pathways to BSNs Broaden, UMHB Nursing Grads Say Hands-On is Best

HANDS-ON ACADEMIC CURRICULUM

In today's digital world, it's easy to find just about any degree imaginable online, including a bachelor of nurs­ing degree. More online nursing programs are popping up across the country every day. As convenient and cost-effective as an online nursing program might sound, UMHB nursing faculty theorize that some programs may not be all they're cracked up to be.

"Nursing is a hands-on field that requires an ability to communicate face-to-face with people and their families during a time of great need. You can't get that experience from a textbook or online," said Dr. Christi Emerson '92, professor of nursing for Scott & White School of Nursing, who has been teaching nursing at UMHB for almost 20 years.

She pointed out concerning stories from colleagues over the last couple of years of nurses being hired with­out ever starting an IV, giving an injection or having a face-to-face conversation with a real patient.

"If students don't interact with a person, it's sometimes hard to just get past saying, 'Hello, my name is Christi, and I'm going to be your nurse today,'" Emerson said. "Having that human interaction, face-to-face with some­one who's not well, who may be in pain or confused, is priceless."

She said many smaller programs or online programs have limited access to institutions where students can participate in hands-on clinicals.

"We're very fortunate to have our clinical partners," she said, especially Baylor Scott & White Health, which was named the nation's No. 1 major teaching hospital on the 2023 Fortune/PINC AI Top 100 Hospitals list.

"Our students have hundreds of clinical hours at Baylor Scott & White," Emerson said of the health system that helped found UMHB's nursing program in 1968.

SIMULATION LEARNING

Before students even set foot in a clinic with real patients, they spend countless hours perfecting their skills in the 20,000-square-foot Clinical Simulation Learning Center that includes assessment labs and a simulated hospital.

"Our students really do get the best of all worlds because of the wonderful clinical facilities we partner with, but also the state-of-the-art simulation center that brings them opportunities to safely practice things until they feel competent," said Dr. Jared McClure '08, director of the Clinical Simulation Learning Center, which recently attained provisional accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, which is a prestigious recognition for a simulation program.

Emerson said the goal is to make the simulated rooms as realistic as possible. "Everything from the way we scan medications as a safety measure to the way things are placed in a patient room, to the way they go to get supplies from a supply room, we at­tempt to make it as realistic as possible."

With all this available to UMHB nursing students, it's clear how out of more than 200 approved nursing education programs in Texas, UMHB ranks as one of the top 10 best RN programs in the state, according to Nurse.org.

"Mary Hardin-Baylor graduates are highly sought after because of the quality of their preparation, and because they are ready to hit the ground running when they graduate," Emerson said. "Students who want to work as a nurse will have a job as a nurse."

Each semester, for as far back as she can remem­ber, Emerson says the job placement rate for gradu­ates is almost always 100 percent, with the majority of students obtaining job offers before they even gradu­ate or take the NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination). Furthermore, when UMHB graduates take the NCLEX, a stellar 95.5 percent pass the exam on the first try, compared to a declining national average, which currently hovers around an 80 percent pass rate.

CHRISTIAN-BASED CARE

Sammy James, who graduated with his bachelor's in nursing from UMHB in 2023, said he also feels his alma mater prepared him for his job as a registered nurse working on the medical-surgical unit at McLane Children's Hospital in Temple.

"I'm so glad I went there and could not imagine going anywhere else," he said. "I can't say that it would prepare everybody else perfectly, but for me, it pre­pared me exactly how I needed to, especially with the rotations during our last semester. It made the transi­tion so much smoother."

From previous experience, Sammy says he is a much better student with in-person classes versus online classes. He says he couldn't imagine getting a nursing degree through an online program and potentially missing out on the hands-on experience UMHB provided.

Through his coworkers who have been on the job much longer than he has, he sees every day how experi­ence is the key to being a successful nurse.

"Some of my coworkers have an associate's degree in nursing, so technically, I have a higher degree, but they are so much better at caring for patients because they have so much more hands-on experience. So, at the end of the day, what really makes a good nurse and a prepared nurse is the experience rather than just the book knowledge."

While many college campuses steer clear of anything Christian-related, one of the elements Sammy loved most about the UMHB nursing program was how some of his professors weaved their faith into their teaching.

"Ms. (Christan) Hammonds '99 was an inspiration to me because she was able to stand up for her faith. It defi­nitely was inspiring," Sammy said.

He knows that meeting his patients' needs is always his first priority, but he also looks for ways to provide a spiritual component if the situation allows it.

"Nursing is such a great thing for a believer—a great place to minister—but at the same time, if I'm not pro­viding them competent care, there's no use for me giving them spiritual care," he said. "My focus is to become the best nurse I can so that I can treat them physically be­cause that's what they're here for, and if the Lord allows an avenue for me to share my faith, then I'll do that too."